With the beginning of fall camp at Clemson just a few weeks away, the start of the 2026 football season is inching ever so closer.

With that in mind, now is a good time to start diving into the opponents on the Tigers’ schedule.

2026 Schedule

• Sept. 5: at LSU
• Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern
• Sept. 19: vs. North Carolina
• Sept. 25 (Fri.): at Cal
• Oct. 3: vs. Miami
• Oct. 10: Open Date
• Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern
• Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech
• Oct. 31: at Florida State
• Nov. 7: at Syracuse
• Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech
• Nov. 20 (Fri.): at Duke
• Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina

Week 2: Georgia Southern (2025 Record: 7-6)

The first two weeks of the 2026 schedule are fairly similar to what it was a year ago. Clemson has the big opener against LSU, then faces off against a G5 opponent. The only difference is this season, the Tigers go to Baton Rouge instead of getting the Bayou Bengals at home.

After losing by seven to LSU to open last season, the Tigers suffered from a hangover and laid an egg in the first half the following week at home against Troy. The Trojans took a 16-3 lead into the half, before Clemson responded by scoring 24 unanswered points over the final two quarters. The team came close to letting one loss beat them twice.

No matter what happens in Baton Rouge on September 5, the Tigers can’t afford another letdown against an inferior opponent. This game marks the home opener for the 2026 campaign, and after last year’s results in Death Valley, it is crucial to get off to a good start in front of the home crowd.

Head coach Clay Helton enters his fifth season at Georgia Southern, and one thing that team has been good at during his tenure is its ability to move the ball. The 2025 season wasn’t the best offensively, but the Eagles had their moments. Georgia Southern went over the 40-point mark four times last season, and the team is 14-4 over the past two years when scoring 24 points or more.

After stints at LSU, Texas A&M and North Carolina, Max Johnson transferred in to take over as quarterback. This will be his seventh collegiate season, so he’s certainly been around the block. In fact, Johnson was the quarterback at North Carolina last season when the Tigers went into Chapel Hill and smacked the Tar Heels. Johnson was 26-of-42 that day for 213 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Johnson also has some weapons at wideout, albeit inexperienced ones. Kam Mikell transferred in from Colorado, and former Clemson target Alex Taylor comes over after spending two seasons at North Carolina.

Keeping this offense in check starts with slowing down the running game. Senior OJ Arnold leads the rushing attack after taking over the starting role last year. He was a 1,000-yard rusher and averaged more than seven yards per carry. The Eagles were 7-1 last season when running for more than 130 yards and 0-5 when they didn’t.

The offensive line will have as many as five new starters, with three from last year’s team transferring out.

On the defensive side, Mike Mutz comes over from Stephen F. Austin as the new coordinator. In 2025, his unit was No. 1 in the FCS in tackles for loss and tenth in sacks. It was also third in the nation against the run. The Eagles had the third-worst defense from a numbers standpoint last season. Only Charlotte and Sam Houston were worse. And nobody gave up more total yards than the 5,961 the Eagles allowed.

Getting after the quarterback was a huge weakness for Georgia Southern last year. The Eagles had a paltry 12.5 sacks as a team, so that has to be a major focal point for Mutz. Edge rusher MJ Stroud, who is back, had 6.5 of those, along with 15.5 tackles for loss. Brandon Tyson and his 84 tackles also returns at linebacker. However, you can best bet those two players, especially Stroud, will get a lot of attention from opposing teams.

With the Eagles going through a bit of a rebuild on both sides of the ball, this is a game Clemson should win. Expect Dabo Swinney’s team to be heavy favorites. These two programs have only met on the gridiron once before, with the Tigers winning 38-7 in 2018.

Having said that, Clemson was a heavy home favorite over Troy last season, but still needed a furious second-half rally for an 11-point win.